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Dating, Marriage & Cohabitation; Sexual Activity, Pregnancy & Fertility; Children
Marital Status & Transitions & Spouse's Characteristics
Young Women Marriage & Spouse Variables
Marital Status
Questions on marital status were asked of respondents in each survey year. In general, the resulting 'Marital Status' variable includes six coding categories: married--spouse present, married--spouse absent, widowed, divorced, separated, and never married. Revised marital status variables, created for several survey years, add a seventh category of spouse absent for unknown reason. Users are encouraged to use the revised variables. In some early survey years, another created marital status variable is available, 'Marital Status and Family Status,' which combines marital status with presence of children.
Marital Transitions
It is possible to construct a fairly comprehensive marital history using the Young Women data. The user should be aware, however, that very different questions are asked at different points in time. The following month and year variables are present in various years: (1) the date of first marriage; (2) the date of the most recent (latest or present) marriage; (3) the date of marriage to the current spouse; (4) the date of each change in marital status since a past interview; and (5) the date of becoming widowed, divorced, or separated. Other variables spanning various years include types of marital status changes and patterns of changes in marriage. Users are urged to examine the original questionnaires to determine wording, context, universe, and coding categories. In addition, while marital transition questions are asked periodically and cover previous dates, they were not asked annually in the early years of the survey. A series of marital status and transition variables is available for the following survey years: 1969, 1970, 1973, 1978, and 1982-2003.
Note that in earlier years, marital status information was updated for all respondents, including noninterviews. Noninterviewed respondents were assigned the marital status reported at their previous interview. In later years, updates to the marital status variables were made for interviewed respondents only (regardless of year). The User Notes below provide a more complete explanation. Finally, some marital information is missing, since respondents did not report on their marital history prior to 1969.
Created Variables
Created marital transition variables. The 2003 data release includes created variables (R90414.00-R90423.00) that trace a respondent's marital transitions reported during the years of the Young Women survey (1968-2003). For each respondent, a series of variables indicates the start date (variable name STDATxx) and end date (ENDATxx), if applicable, of each marriage reported. These variables were created using the form YYMM. For example, if a woman was first married in October of 1965, she would have a value of 6510 for the STDAT01 variable. Missing codes for these created variables indicate that the respondent had never married (‑999), that her first marriage never ended (‑998), that her first marriage ended and no second marriage was reported (‑997), and so forth. If a woman reported her marital status as married but did not provide a marriage date, she is assigned a code of 0, meaning that the date is unreported. More information on the creation of these variables, and the rules used to accommodate missing data, is provided in Appendix 41 of the Codebook Supplement.
Users should carefully check coding category differences in marital status. In addition, there are many related variables such as marital status collected retrospectively for noninterview years and interviewer check items that use different categories than those described above. When marital transitions were updated from a midpoint of a previous year rather than from a previous interview, certain vital information may be missing. For instance, if a respondent was interviewed in 1980, was a noninterview in 1982, and then was interviewed again in 1983, her marital history was updated since a specified date in 1982 (not 1980). If she was married in 1980 but divorced and remarried before 1982, her marital status would be married for both 1980 and 1983, with no marital transitions recorded. Her husband, however, would be a different person with different characteristics than in 1980. It is imperative for researchers to examine the questionnaires to determine exactly what information is recorded, especially for those not interviewed in earlier years of the survey.
Questions for Widowed Respondents
In 1995-2003, a special series of questions was addressed to Young Women who had been widowed since their last interview. Respondents first answered questions about their husband's needs during the last year of his life, including whether the respondent provided special nursing care for the husband, the number of hours per day such care was required, and how this affected the respondent's employment opportunities. Respondents also provided information about how medical costs were paid during this time.
The second part of this series focused on the respondent's financial situation after her husband's death. These questions determined the types and amounts of benefits or other assistance the widow had received in connection with her husband's death. Sources of income recorded include insurance, Social Security, pensions, and family members.
Users should note that if the respondent appeared to be too uncomfortable to answer these questions at any point in the series, interviewers could skip past the remaining questions at their discretion. In these cases, a code of -7 in the data indicates that the respondent was unable to answer.
Spouse/Partner Characteristics
Information on the respondent's spouse is available in all years; data are collected about the partners of respondents beginning with the 1983 survey. Spouse/partner data include health, income, education, weeks worked, and attitudes. The "Household Roster" is also a possible source of partner information. Although the list of possible relationships to the respondent on the "Household Roster" section of the questionnaire ("Household Record" variables) does not include "partner" in the early years, the revised relationship codes of later years do include this category.
In addition to this basic background information, beginning in 1993 the survey collected detailed information on the work experiences of the respondent's husband. The same questions were asked regarding the respondent's partner since 1995. In questionnaire sections such as "Husband's Work History" and "Husband's Employer Supplement," the respondent reports on the husband's/partner's current labor force status; occupation, industry, and class of worker at current or most recent job; start and stop dates of employment; rate of pay; usual hours worked; and union membership. Similar information is then recorded for other jobs held since the last interview. Additionally, the respondent describes the husband's or partner's job search activity in the past month and weeks of unemployment since the last interview/in the last year. Finally, the interview addresses retirement issues by asking the respondent whether her husband/partner was covered by Social Security (1993 only); what his or her plans and expectations are for retirement; and what types of pension coverage are available from current and past employers.
Survey Instruments & Documentation: Current marital status of the respondent is generally transcribed from the updated Household Record Cards to page one of the questionnaire or to the Information Sheet. In some survey years, however, current marital status is collected in other sections of the questionnaire, such as "Health" or "Work Attitudes." Marital transition information for the respondent is collected in the "Marital History," "Family Members," "Family Background," or "Marital Status" questionnaire sections. The derivations of the revised versions of marital status come from consistency checks and hand-edits and result in revised household information. The derivation for the 'Pattern of Marital Status 68-73' variables, a series of created variables, is listed in Appendix 20 of the Codebook Supplement).
Cohorts
- NLSY97
- Topical Guide to the Data
- Asterisk Tables
- I. Employment, Unemployment, and Job Search (age restrictions as of interview date)
- II. Schooling (age restrictions as of 12/31/96)
- III. Training (age restrictions as of interview date)
- IV. Income, Assets, and Program Participation
- V. Family Formation (age restrictions as of end of previous calendar year--12/31/96 in rd 1, 12/31/97 in rd 2, and so on)
- VI. Family Background (age restrictions as of 12/31/1996)
- VII. Expectations
- VIII. Attitudes, Behaviors, and Time Use
- IX. Health (age restrictions as of 12/31/96)
- X. Political Participation
- XI. Environmental Variables (in main data set)
- Education
- Employment
- Household, Geography & Contextual Variables
- Family Background
- Marital History, Childcare & Fertility
- Income
- Health
- Attitudes
- Crime & Substance Use
- Asterisk Tables
- Intro to the Sample
- Using & Understanding the Data
- Other Documentation
- Codebook Supplement
- Introduction to the NLSY97 Created Variable Appendices
- Appendix 1: Education Variable Creation
- Enrollment Status and Highest Grade/Degree - Appendix 1
- Date Received Diploma or Degree - Appendix 1
- Number of Grades Repeated or Skipped - Appendix 1
- Number of Schools Attended - Appendix 1
- Credits Earned toward Bachelor's/Associate's Degree - Appendix 1
- Date Left High School and Highest High School Grade - Appendix 1
- Private or Parochial School - Appendix 1
- SAT/ACT Scores - Appendix 1
- Training: Receipt of Certificate or Vocational License - Appendix 1
- Appendix 2: Employment Variable Creation
- Appendix 3: Family Background and Formation
- Household Size as of Survey Date - Appendix 3
- Marital Status and Marital/Cohabitation History - Appendix 3
- Fertility and Child Status - Appendix 3
- Number of Residences since Age 12 - Appendix 3
- Current Citizenship Status - Appendix 3
- Mother's Age at First Birth/Respondent's Birth
- Relationship to Household Parent Figures (Round 1 Parent Interview) - Appendix 3
- Relationship to Household Parent Figures (Rounds 7-9 Childhood Retrospective) - Appendix 3
- Relationship to Household Parent Figures (Interview Date) - Appendix 3
- Appendix 4: Geographic Variable Creation
- Appendix 5: Income and Assets Variable Creation
- Appendix 6: Event History Creation and Documentation
- Appendix 7: Continuous Month Scheme and Crosswalk
- Appendix 8: Instrument Rosters
- Appendix 9: Family Process and Adolescent Outcome Measures
- Appendix 10: CAT-ASVAB Scores
- Appendix 11: Collection of the Transcript Data (High School)
- Appendix 12: Post-Secondary Transcript Study
- Appendix 13: Cross-Cohort NLSY79/97 Overview
- Attachment 1: Census Industrial & Occupational Classification Codes
- Geocode Codebook Supplement
- Introduction to NLSY97 Geocode Data
- Attachment 100: Census Bureau State and County Codes
- Attachment 101: Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)/Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) Codes
- Attachment 102: IPEDS Data and College Identification Codes
- Attachment 103: Migration Distance Variables for Respondent Locations
- Attachment 104: Codebook Pages for Geocode and Zipcode Variables
- Questionnaires
- Errata
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 17 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 16 Release
- Addendum: Additional NLSY97 Speech & Post-Secondary Variables Available
- Addendum: NLSY97 Post-Secondary Data and Transcript Data Files Now Available
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 15 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 14 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 13 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 12 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 11 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 10 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 9 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 8 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 7 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 6 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 5 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 4 Release
- Errata for NLSY97 Round 3 Release
- Tutorials
- Technical Sampling Report
- Codebook Supplement
- Get Data
- Topical Guide to the Data
- NLSY79
- Topical Guide to the Data
- Asterisk Tables
- Education
- Employment
- Employment: An Introduction
- Work Experience
- Jobs & Employers
- Class of Worker
- Discrimination
- Fringe Benefits
- Industries
- Job Characteristics Index
- Job Satisfaction
- Job Search
- Labor Force Status
- Military
- Occupations
- Time & Tenure with Employers
- Wages
- Work History Data
- Employer History Roster
- Business Ownership
- Retirement
- Household, Geography & Contextual Variables
- Family Background
- Marital History, Childcare & Fertility
- Income
- Health
- Attitudes
- Crime & Substance Use
- Intro to the Sample
- Using & Understanding the Data
- Other Documentation
- Codebook Supplement
- NLSY79 Attachment 3: Industrial and Occupational Classification Codes
- NLSY79 Attachment 4: Fields of Study in College
- NLSY79 Attachment 5: Index of Labor Unions and Employee Associations
- NLSY79 Attachment 6: Other Kinds of Training Codes
- NLSY79 Attachment 7: Other Certificate Codes
- NLSY79 Attachment 8: Health Codes
- NLSY79 Attachment 100: Geographic Regions
- NLSY79 Attachment 101: Country Codes
- NLSY79 Attachment 102: Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
- NLSY79 Attachment 103: Religion Codes
- NLSY79 Attachment 106: Profiles of American Youth (ASVAB Data/AFQT Scores)
- NLSY79 Appendix 1: Employment Status Recode Variables (1979-1998 and 2006)
- NLSY79 Appendix 2: Total Net Family Income Variable Creation (1979-2014)
- NLSY79 Appendix 3: Job Satisfaction Measures
- NLSY79 Appendix 4: Job Characteristics Index 1979-1982
- NLSY79 Appendix 5: Supplemental Fertility and Relationship Variables
- NLSY79 Appendix 6: Urban-Rural and SMSA-Central City Variables
- NLSY79 Appendix 7: Unemployment Rate
- NLSY79 Appendix 8: Highest Grade Completed & Enrollment Status Variable Creation
- NLSY79 Appendix 9: Linking Employers Through Survey Years
- NLSY79 Appendix 11: Round 12 (1990) Survey Administration Methods
- NLSY79 Appendix 12: Most Important Job Learning Activities (1993-94)
- NLSY79 Appendix 13: Intro to CAPI Questionnaires and Codebooks
- NLSY79 Appendix 14: Instrument Rosters
- NLSY79 Appendix 15: Recipiency Event Histories
- NLSY79 Appendix 16: 1994 Recall Experiment
- NLSY79 Appendix 17: Interviewer Characteristics Data
- NLSY79 Appendix 18: Work History Data
- NLSY79 Appendix 19: SF-12 Health Scale Scoring
- NLSY79 Appendix 20: Round 20 (2002) Early Bird and Income Recall Experiments
- NLSY79 Appendix 21: Attitudinal Scales
- NLSY79 Appendix 22: Migration Distance Variables for Respondent Locations
- NLSY79 Appendix 23: Revised Asset and Debt Variables and Computed TOTAL Net Wealth Variables
- NLSY79 Appendix 24: Reanalysis of the 1980 AFQT Data from the NLSY79
- NLSY79 Appendix 25: Attitudinal Scale Scoring
- NLSY79 Appendix 26: Non-Response to Financial Questions and Entry Points
- NLSY79 Appendix 27: IRT Item Parameter Estimates, Scores and Standard Errors
- NLSY79 Appendix 28: NLSY79 Employer History Roster
- NLSY79 Appendix 29: Date of Interview Current Status Variables
- NLSY79/97 Cross-Cohort Data
- Geocode Codebook Supplement
- Appendix 7: Unemployment Rates
- Appendix 10: Geocode Documentation
- Attachment 100: Geographic Regions
- Attachment 101: Country Codes
- Attachment 102: State FIPS Codes
- Attachment 104, Part A: 1981 Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs)
- Attachment 104, Part B: 1983 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)
- Attachment 104, Part C: 1983 Consolidated MSAs and Associated Primary MSAs (CMSAs and PMSAs)
- Attachment 104, Part D: 1983 PMSAs and Associated CMSAs
- Attachment 104, Part E: 1988 MSAs, CMSAs, and Associated PMSAs
- Attachment 104, Part F: 2004 MSAs, CMSAs, and Associated PMSAs
- Attachment 104, Part G: 2006 Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs)
- Attachment 105: Addendum to FICE Codes
- Attachment 106: Codebook Pages for Geocode and Zipcode Variables
- Questionnaires
- Tutorials
- Errata
- Errata for 1979-2016 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2014 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2012 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2010 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2008 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2006 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2004 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2002 Data Release
- Errata for 1979-2000 Data Release
- Technical Sampling Report
- School & Transcript Surveys Documentation
- Codebook Supplement
- Get Data
- Topical Guide to the Data
- NLSY79 Child/YA
- Topical Guide to the Data
- Intro to the Sample
- Using & Understanding the Data
- Other Documentation
- Codebook Supplement
- Appendix A: HOME-SF Scales (NLSY79 Child)
- Appendix B: Composition of the Temperament Scales (NLSY79 Child)
- Appendix C: Motor & Social Development (NLSY79 Child)
- Appendix D: Behavior Problems Index (NLSY79 Child)
- Appendix D, Part 1: Composition of the BPI subscales
- Appendix D, Part 2a: BPI Anxious/Depressed Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 2b: BPI Antisocial Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 2c: BPI Dependent Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 2d: BPI Headstrong Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 2e: BPI Hyperactive Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 2f: BPI Peer Conflicts/Withdrawn Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 2g: BPI Full Scale
- Appendix D, Part 3a: BPI Internalizing Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 3b: BPI Externalizing Subscale
- Appendix D, Part 3c: BPI Total Scores
- Appendix E: Sample SPSSx Program for Merging NLSY79 Child/YA & Mother Files
- Appendix F: Sample SAS Program for Merging NLSY79 Child/YA & Mother Files
- Appendix G: NLSY79 Child Assessment Scores, Reference Numbers (2010-2014)
- Appendix H: Identification Codes in the Child and Young Adult Database
- Attachment 100: Codebook Pages for Young Adult Geocode Data
- Questionnaires
- Errata
- Errata for 2016 Child/Young Adult Release
- Errata for 2014 Child/Young Adult Release
- Data Addition: New Work and School Status Variables Created
- Errata for 2012 Child/Young Adult Release
- Errata for 2010 Child/Young Adult Release
- Errata for 2008 Child/Young Adult Release
- Errata for 2006 Child/Young Adult Release
- Errata for 2004 Child/Young Adult Release
- Errata for 2002 Child/Young Adult Release
- Errata for 2000 Child/Young Adult Release
- Research/Technical Reports
- Codebook Supplement
- Get Data
- NLS Mature and Young Women
- NLS Older and Young Men